Olsen Farm

Tag: small farm

There are two farm dumps on our 28 acres, one far back in the woods from the very early years settlers lived here and one more recent, closer to the house we currently live in. It was common practice for farms and homesteads to have a ‘dump’ on the property (and in many places, still is common practice) where all the no-longer-useful things would be put out of sight. The lasting impact on the land from being ridden with chemicals, glass and rusty metal was not something on anyones mind.

Since purchasing the family land in October 2019, we have begun the long process of digging out broken glass, rusty metal, dishes, old tires and unidentifiable trash from our farm dumps to reclaim the forest and re-build healthy ecosystems.

Today we removed four chicken feed bags (they make great sturdy bags for sharp trash!) full of old tire parts, broken dishes, metal, barbed wire and broken bottles- and our work has only just begun.

Sometimes- amongst the shards and rusted bits- we do find treasures. A little window into what life was like at Olsen Farm before we lived here. Anything that can be salvaged or repurposed is saved to be displayed on the farm.

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One of three shovel heads found in the farm dump, this one will be sanded and painted for a yard display. 

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An assortment of barrel rings, ready to be hung on the chicken coop wall! 

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The treasure of the day- an old horseshoe- giving us a little luck and inspiration to keep on digging. 

It is our responsibility to do better for the land than the generations before us, not because they were ‘bad’ and we are ‘good’- but because it is what the earth needs.

We will be doing many more farm dump digs this year- if you would like to volunteer your time and join us please be in touch! 

*Featured photo: taken by Stephanie Zollshan- The Berkshire Eagle

 

2020 has started off full-speed ahead- only 8 days in and so much to share!

Our land purchase is tremendous news and will allow us to expand and build our small farm, but we still have work to do in order to purchase the family home. The house needs many costly repairs, including a septic replacement, roof, windows and doors, bathroom gut and building two porches. It sits on 2.5 acres, sandwiched inside our 28 acres and has been our home for the past 6 years. To secure financing we must first make the required repairs.

We are half-way there- with a lot of hard work, networking and fundraising ahead in 2020. Please continue to share our campaign and donate if you are able.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/home-repairs-for-financing

Donate through Paypal to: olsen.farmma@gmail.com

Check donations can be mailed to: Olsen Farm PO Box 619, Lanesborough, MA 01237

IMG_0394For the month of January donations of $50 or more receive a one of a kind, hand-made tote bag as a ‘thank you’ gift! 

 

The start of this new decade has brought incredible local news coverage of our work at Olsen Farm. We were interviewed by Berkshire Eagle, and made the front page January 6th with our continued work to re-build the farm.

https://www.berkshireeagle.com/stories/in-lanesborough-couple-grows-hope-on-the-family-farm,593958?fbclid=IwAR3THw5S2CvY028U_MWwkh51geVaDHGji3npBvuWR4OceAQh5gznvNpr-W8

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Kristen was interviewed about next steps for the farm and ended up on the 6 O’Clock News on Spectrum Channel 1 News on January 7th. Take a look at the interview here:

https://spectrumnews1.com/ma/worcester/news/2020/01/07/couple-saves-farm

 

We are so grateful for the amazing local news coverage and outpouring of support we’ve received so far. We have made it this far in re-building Olsen Farm- thanks to each of you. Please keep sending us your love & support so we can make it over the next hurdle and continue farming the family land in Lanesborough <3

‘We bought the farm’ is an old-timey way to indirectly say someone has died- often referring to death in a battle, or plane crash. While we did have our share of battles with debt collectors and nay-sayers (no plane crashes though), for us it holds a more literal meaning- after over two years of fundraising and negotiations with family we have finally purchased 28 acres of the family farm lands!

These 28 acres include Sachum Brook, running along the West side of the property. Forest trails through mixed hardwood forest, a vernal pool in Spring and magical hemlock groove, blueberry and apple orchards, our gardens, apiary and chicken coops as well as the original farm house (now condemned) built in the 1790’s.

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Forest path that leads across Sachum Brook to the vernal pool and hemlock groove

 

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Big bend in Sachum Brook, a favorite spot year round

 

The idea of owning land feels strange and disconnected- what does it even mean to ‘own’ land? It has always been our goal to prevent this acreage from being developed, to protect and re-build our four generation family farm and preserve habitats for wildlife, birds and native plants. Our owning the land on paper will allow us to do all this- and more, but we think of ourselves more as stewards than owners.

This land is home to the animals we raise- chickens, honeybees, an Australian Shepherd and three crazy cats. It is also home to incredible wildlife, birds, insects, amphibians and mammals. The old farm house has been a home to little brown bats for years, we have great blue herons fly over the yard regularly. Barred and great horned owls visit and call- bluebirds return to nest each year. This year we had dozens of monarch caterpillars and butterflies- and found a praying mantis in the garden.

We have seen bobcats, a fisher, coyotes, black bear, fox and a mountain lion (yes, it was a real mountain lion!) in the yard. The hemlock grove is home to some very large porcupines, and the vernal pool has had spotted salamander eggs two years in a row. Deer love to come snack on fallen apples, raccoons and skunks are regulars too.

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Bluebird houses on the meadow edge- we have had nesting pairs for the past three years

 

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Our apiary- all 19 colonies- nestled between old apple trees and our vegetable gardens

 

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Our three chicken coops, with a mix of bantams and standard birds stand on the other side of the old apple tree

 

While the work of a farmer is never done- this land purchase is a huge step in the future of Olsen Farm. THANK YOU to everyone who has supported us along the way- we truly could not have come this far without each of you.

If you are local to the Berkshires- please join us Saturday, November 9th from 4-6 PM at Dottie’s Coffee Lounge 444 North street in Pittsfield to celebrate!

At Olsen Farm we believe all chickens are special, but there is something especially magical about the silkie breed. Over a year ago we were gifted a few silkie eggs to incubate and once those tiny fluff balls hatched we fell instantly in love.

So, what is it that makes these mini fluffy muppets so special? Here are some unique traits of these sweet little birds:

Silkie hens lay three to four eggs a week. Their eggs are about half the size of a standard chicken egg- but equally as delicious!IMG_2198

Silkies are fibro melanistic, which means they have black skin, black meat and black bones. They were originally bred in Asia and some believe eating their black meat will cure what ails you. While silkies are bred to be both show birds and meat birds, we have yet to eat a silkie because they are just so damned cute!

Three day old silkie chicks- seriously the cutest thing you will ever see. IMG_3110

Silkies have feathered feet, and their feet have five toes- rather than the usual three of standard chickens.

Their feathers remain light and fluffy into adulthood, because of this trait they can become sick or die if they get wet during cold weather. Be sure to keep your silkies dry and warm- they LOVE baths and getting their feathers blow dried! These little fluffs do amazingly well at staying warm during cold weather if their feathers remain dry, they are a winter-hearty breed.

Silkie feathers come in many color variations including black, white, buff (brown/tan), splash (light grey/ black and white mix), blue (dark grey) and partridge (brown mix)

IMG_3627Teen ‘blue’ silkies- this is the awkward phase where their adult plumage is growing in.

Silkie roosters, like most roosters, have larger combs and wattles than hens. They develop these later than standard breeds, and it can be difficult to distinguish a hen from a rooster by looks until they are over six months old and start either laying or crowing. IMG_2802Meet Twister, our ‘splash’ silkie roo

Silkies have a wonderfully gentle temperament and are great for first time chicken keepers. They are calm, tame and very fun to observe. Silkies are also great mothers and will hatch and raise ducks, turkeys, standard chickens- you name it!IMG_2822Even silkie roosters are gentle and calm- they still stand their ground with other roos, but don’t mind being carried around!

 

We have been bringing Maple (below) our sweetest silkie hen, to the local farmer’s market for a few months. Our original thought was that children would love to pet a cute chicken, and it would be a great educational experience for them. What we did not expect was the intense joy and peace meeting a silkie had on the adults at the market. Many residents came to visit Maple each week, bringing her treats, taking photos and snuggling her. Maple became a therapy chicken simply by being her adorable fluffy magicical self. We are so glad to have been able to share our sweet birds with people who needed a little nature medicine. IMG_4547

Silkies are magical birds. They make wonderful pets, are great mama hens and are cute as hell. Plus, they can cure what ails you.

If you are ever having a down day, pet a silkie- they really are the best medicine.